Jim Sheehan

{{Short description|Australian politician}}

{{About|the politician|the historian|James J. Sheehan}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}

{{Use Australian English|date=January 2016}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Jim Sheehan

| honorific-suffix =

| image = James Michael Sheehan.jpg

| title = Senator for Victoria

| term_start = 12 July 1938

| term_end = 20 September 1940

| predecessor = John Barnes (died between election and beginning of term)

| successor = John Spicer

| term_start1 = 1 July 1944

| term_end1 = 30 June 1962

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1885|7|24}}

| birth_place = Castlemaine, Victoria

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1967|4|10|1885|7|24}}

| death_place = Castlemaine, Victoria

| nationality = Australian

| spouse =

| party = Australian Labor Party

| relations =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater =

| occupation = Railway worker, unionist

| profession =

| religion =

| signature =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

James Michael Sheehan (24 July 1885 – 10 April 1967) was an Australian trade unionist and politician.

Born in Castlemaine, Victoria, he received a primary education before becoming a railway worker.{{Cite Au Senate |Sen id=sheehan-james-michael |name=SHEEHAN, James Michael (1885–1967) Senator for Victoria, 1938–40, 1944–62 (Australian Labor Party) |first=Helen |last=Doyle |year=2004 |access-date=2023-01-17}} He was an organiser with the Australian Workers' Union and President of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, as well as being an active member of the Victorian Labor Party.{{Australian Dictionary of Biography|last=Strangio|first=Paul|year=2002|volume=16|id2=sheehan-james-michael-11672|title=Sheehan, James Michael (1885–1967)|access-date=2023-01-18}} On 12 July 1938, he was appointed to the Australian Senate for Victoria to fill a casual vacancy caused by the death of Labor Senator John Barnes. The Australian Constitution dictated that an appointment to a casual vacancy was required to be re-contested at the next election and while Sheehan was number one on the Labor ticket, he was defeated in 1940 with the UAP-Country coalition winning all four seats.{{cite web |last=Carr |first=Adam |title=1940 Senate election: Victoria |url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1940/1940senatevic.txt |accessdate=2023-01-18 |work=Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive}} He was third on Labor's ticket at the {{If|exist|Results of the 1943 Australian federal election (Senate)|1943 election|1943 election}}, with Labor winning all three seats,{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Adam |title=1943 Senate election: Victoria |url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1943/1943senatevic.txt |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=Psephos Adam Carr's Election Archive}} taking his place at the in 1944. He remained in the Senate until his retirement in 1961, taking effect in 1962.{{cite web|last=Carr |first=Adam |title=Australian Election Archive |work=Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive |url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia |year=2008 |access-date=2008-11-12 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717093439/http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/ |archive-date=17 July 2007 }}

Sheehan died in 1967, aged 81.